Sodo, Ethiopia
ወላይታ ሶዶ
Sodo is a regional capital of 204,100 people in South Ethiopia Regional State, Ethiopia.
Why visit Sodo
Townapedia lists 6 museums and landmarks, 16 places to eat and 9 places to stay in and around town.
Weather in Sodo
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Sodo
Sodo (Amharic: ሶዶ) or officially Wolaita Sodo (Amharic: ወላይታ ሶዶ, Wolaytta: Wolaytta Sooddo) is a city in south Ethiopia. The city is a political and administrative center of the Wolaita Zone and South Ethiopia Regional State. It has a latitude and longitude of 6°54′N 37°45′E with an elevation between 1,600 and 2,100 metres (5,200 and 6,900 feet) above sea level. It was part of the former Sodo woreda which included Sodo Zuria which completely surrounds it.
From the Wikipedia article Sodo (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Sodo on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Museums and landmarks6
Restaurants and cafes16
4 more on the map.
Where to stay9
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Churches and places of worship10
Maabraat Hayle Woosa Keettaa
Church · Protestant · 1.1 km
Merkato - Otona, Wolayta Sodo
Sooddo Isttaademiya Qaali Hiwoote Woosa Keeetta
Church · Protestant
Gutara Staduim Avenue, Wolayta Sodo
History
In the early 1930s, Sodo was described as the only locality in Wolaita district deserving to be called a town. It had a Saturday market, a telephone line to the capital, and a weekly mail courier. Italian ground troops captured Sodo on 27 January 1937; it was there that two Italian generals with their divisions – Liberati with his 25th Division, and Bacarri with his 101st Division – surrendered on 22 May 1941, after a minimum of resistance. The British also captured the remnants of the 21st Division, who had escaped around the north end of Lake Abijatta. The loot included more than 4,000 officers and men, 6 medium tanks, 4 light tanks, 100 machine guns, ammunition and supplies.
By 1958 Sodo was one of 27 places in Ethiopia ranked as First Class Township. A branch of the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia was established between 1965 and 1968. The administrator of Sodo Zuria woreda and one-time student activist, Melaku Gebre Egziahber, was arrested in 1975 for encouraging peasants and the urban poor to rise up against "exploiters" in the town. In 1984, a refugee camp was established in the town for the victims of that year's famine.
From the History section of Sodo on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Shopping1
Gas and EV charging7
Schools, colleges and libraries8
Healthcare4
Map of Sodo
61 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Soddu Airport (SXU) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 5 km away.
- Gununo 14 km northwest, about 14 min by car
- Bodītī 17 km northeast, about 17 min by car
- Tebela 17 km south, about 17 min by car
- Badessa 19 km east, about 19 min by car
- Shanto 21 km northeast, about 21 min by car
- Āreka 24 km north, about 24 min by car
- Bale Hawassa 27 km west, about 27 min by car
- Gasuba 27 km southwest, about 27 min by car
- Bedēsa 36 km east, about 36 min by car
- Awasa 82 km east, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Wolayta Sodo Tona Roundabout, Kehaa, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Wolaita Sodo, Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Hard Workers, Ethiopia (8256688037), Rod Waddington from Kergunyah, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0
- No Cars, Ethiopia (8257786592), Rod Waddington from Kergunyah, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0
Page built November 4, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.